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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Tuesday night, people took to the streets in downtown Colorado Springs to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline.

About 50 to 100 people gathered at the corner of Tejon Street and Colorado Avenue and held signs and chanted things like “water is life” and “you drink water, we’re fighting for you.”

One protester said money should never trump human life or the sacredness of someone’s land.

“For Native Americans the land is holy,” said Onorina Vedovi-Rinker. “It’s a temple. It’s their church, it’s their identity. I mean it’s their body. So how can we ignore this? How can we sanction putting in this pipeline that could very well erupt and leak very dirty oil into the drinking water?”

Vedovi-Rinker added it’s time for America to wake up and realize what is happening.

“I don’t expect people to believe what I say, go out and find out, see what you think,” she said. “Look and see and see is it right what’s happening? I don’t want a Wounded Knee III. I want respect for the Indians and for their effort.”

After standing on the corner for about an hour, the group then marched down Tejon and back to the Wells Fargo Tower.